"I don’t take anything for granted and feel I am improving all the time with every game." Coventry City's Chris Stokes

17 April 2015

Matt Joyce

Read what Tony Mowbray had to say about the defender as well here...

Coventry City defender Chris Stokes believes that he has learned from his mistakes and is happy to stand up and be counted for them.

Stokes was at fault for the second goal in the 3-1 reverse to Doncaster at the Ricoh Arena when he gave the ball away in the build up.

But the 24-year old, who has been an ever present since his arrival from Forest Green Rovers on loan, believes he has learned from that particular

error and will always admit mistakes and train and work on them.

"For that Doncaster goal I tried to come inside," he said. "I might have got away with that in the Conference, which is probably why I did it, and on another day I go past him and it's seen I've done well!

"But League One players are bigger, stronger, cleverer – he read what I was going to do and took it off me. The manager didn’t really say much about it because it was gone, you can’t change that game. But I said to myself ‘I’ll not do that again’ – I was determined to learn the lesson and thankfully I haven’t made a mistake since.

"It was an error of judgement – I need to be more aware because my first duty is to clear the ball –but I held my hand up, admitted my mistake.

"I don’t take anything for granted and feel I am improving all the time with every game."

Boss Tony Mowbray admitted that he has given the left-back a rollicking or two since he took over as manager but was full of praise for Stokes’ attitude and personality and also said that he has enjoyed working with the young defender

Mowbray added: "In my eyes he’s a young man that doesn’t shirk responsibility. There are definitely parts of his game that he needs to keep working and improve if he wants to play at the level we’re playing and hopefully beyond that he needs to develop his game. But what I can’t give him is a heart and he’s got a heart the size of a lion.

"Some players with bags more talent than Chris Stokes have had tougher days, but he’s made of the right stuff, I'm enjoying working with him.

"Even when I have stood there glaring at him and telling him what I’ve thought, he’s glared straight back, taken it on the chin and then got out on the training pitch the next day and tried to improve."